Gour met on the go

Culinary travel's really cookin'

By JENNIFER PARKS, EDMONTON SUN

Jackie DeKnock believes the best way to the heart of a culture is through your stomach.

While vacationing in Thailand several years ago she found the ornate temples awe-inspiring. But it was learning how to prepare authentic green curried chicken in a two-week cooking course at the distinguished Chiangnai Cooking School that made the trip so memorable.

"More people are getting interested in food adventures," says DeKnock, a self-proclaimed foodie and owner of the new Canadian travel company Gourmet Safari.

It launched last week (www.gourmetsafari.com).

The company, based in Toronto, offers culinary courses and cooking vacations throughout Italy, France and Spain.

The growing trend in gastronomy-centred travel has caught on with baby-boomer "zoomers," many in early retirement and looking for new kinds of vacations, she says.

"They want to get up and out and they tend to be more affluent," says DeKnock, who has an education background in travel and tourism and worked for British Airways for more than 10 years, during which time she visited about 40 countries.

"This type of trip offers tourists a different travel experience than Florida or the all-inclusives. It's for people who want something unique that will get them close to a different culture."

DeKnock isn't the only one who's noticed this new growth area.

A local travel agent says they're getting a growing number of calls from people who want to go on culinary adventures.

"They're people who have a real affinity for cooking. A lot of them want to go to Italy," says Wendy Vranas, manager at Marlin Travel's South Edmonton Common location.

"We've also seen an increase in people wanting to do cycling and walking tours and canal cruises in Europe, which are all about dining and wine-tasting."

The trips offered through Gourmet Safari include accommodations like 16th-century farmhouses, bed-and-breakfasts, villas, inns and monasteries, three cooking classes with a local chef and a visit to a local open-air marketplace.

"It's for intimate groups of people with a maximum of 18," says DeKnock.

The week's schedule includes plenty of time to rest and do your own exploring.

Each of the dishes you make in the cooking classes is paired with a different wine.

In Italy you might learn to make salsa agli aromi (aromatic tomato herb sauce with pasta) or saffron rosotto with pumpkin.

In France, tian provenca (zucchinis and tomatoes) and marquise chocolate pate are on the menu.

In Spain, you'll learn to make the country's typical rice dish with seafood, called paella, and crema catalana, similar to a creme caramel or creme brulee.

Trip costs range from $2,200 to $5,000 and do not include flights.

All of the foreign chefs speak English, so language is never a barrier, says DeKnock. "They love people and food and that's the perfect combination."

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For more information about Gourmet Safari visit the website or call 416-238-9987.
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